marketing 101

You never contradict customers. Always listen to your customers. Give the people what the they want. The customer is always right. I am sure you heard all these before. You probably have had someone tell you about these at one point or another. 

These guidelines are meant to drive sales. To get people to buy more of what it is you are selling. These are the mantras of consumerism. You don't want to say no to your customers. You don't want to point out that they ask for something that is impossible to get. You don't say wrong when they are wrong. You don't want them to think twice.

If people want an energy drink but they don't want to get fat, then you give them an energy drink without calories. Never mind that this makes no sense whatsoever. Never mind that it would be better if they got off the lazy couch and exercised a bit. Or stopped eating junk food and drinking sodas all day long. You do not want to educate your customers. You want to sell them stuff. Even if it is bad for them. Especially when it is bad for them!

Politicians understand that too. If people want to protect the environment and get cheap gas, well then you promise them cheap gas and environmental stewardship. Never mind that these two things are incompatible. Never mind that the only way to get people to pollute less is to drive gas prices sky-high. Don't even try to point out to people that their desires are contradictory. Just give them what they ask for.

We are a generation of spoiled brats. We all grew up at a time when prosperity was rampant. We got whatever we wanted and then some. We soon came to expect to have all our wishes fulfilled. And now we are raising another generation of people who are even more spoiled. Even more disconnected from reality. With even more unrealistic expectations. It should surprise nobody then, that one day this will all come crashing down. And there will be a lot of unprepared people out there crying wolf. Only this time, nobody will heed their calls.

solar logic?

Eco-writer Allison Arieff wanted solar panels. According to her latest report in Sunset magazine she became so desperate she finally went to a solar party to find out all about it. Then imagine her disappointment when the solar expert told her she did not consume enough electricity to make it worthwhile. She writes: "We were stunned." And more, she says: "I think we even asked how we might use more electricity to validate our moving forward as planned."

I think we are missing the big picture here. People are so brainwashed into consuming that they think nothing of writing stupid stuff like that. Why would an eco-conscious person want to use more electricity? Why would they want solar panels if they don't need them? To save the planet?

What about the cost of producing the panels? The materials and labor and carbon that goes into them? Do people ever think? What about the older but perfectly fine devices that they will throw out to replace with new "solar"-compatible gadgets?

Allison is not to be deterred. She is thinking she will throw out her good gas water heater and replace it so she can use solar water heating. She also says she is confident they will use solar for electricity, hot water, or both. Gotta have that latest gadget folks! 

Here my dear friends is one reason why I am so pessimistic about our ability to solve the big problems. People just don't get it. They don't understand that the issue is one of consumption, of using too much, of throwing away good items and replacing them needlessly with other items.

Dear Allison, forget about your solar dreams. They are just another form of the consumerism that is destroying our environment. Do not throw out your good water heater. Do not buy new things unless you need them. Do not use more electricity so you can be "green."

No extra consumption is green. By definition. To be green you need to consume LESS. You need to keep using what you have and NOT buy new stuff.

vanilla candidates

The first convention is on. Soon we will be inundated with pre-packaged images of presidential and vice-presidential candidates. Candidates that look more alike everyday. Making bold non-sensical and meaningless statements, such as we have to defeat evil, all the while showing a total lack of backbone.

Cheaper gas, you got it, environmental protection, here it is, offshore drilling, sure. Whatever you want America, even if it makes no sense whatsoever. Even if it is meaningless and contradictory. You want an energy drink without calories: voila, here it is. You want a diet where you can eat what you want and still lose weight, go right ahead. Nobody is going to say no to you anymore. Least of all the politicians. Give the public what the public wants. Except when it really matters. Panem et circenses.

What do we have elections for? What is there to elect? Who has anything different to offer? We give the public what the public demands, while filling our pockets and fighting "evil." By the time anyone gets to office they are so beholden to special interests that financed their campaigns, that they are no longer free to make any significant decision.

Bill Maher was on Larry King last night. He said something to the effect, people are too dumb to be governed. And he was right. They don't care. They don't think. They don't want politicians who think. They want politicians who spit out tough sounding sound bites. Politicians who appear confident and in charge.

The public are like whiny children holding out their hands. Give me this, give me that, the world be damned. Don't ask me to sacrifice anything. Don't ask me to pay for anything. I want it all for free. Let's protect the environment but only if we have cheap gas, plenty of water for our lawn, and all other things that we can't possible live without.

Welcome to Denver.

on the war path

We are finally seeing where all our NATO expansion is leading us. Not to mention our Star Wars plans. What, you may ask is the purpose of NATO and Star Wars now that Soviet Union is gone? It appears the answer is, to promote its comeback. Because that is just what we are doing. We are pushing Russia into a corner, and they don't like it.

While all of us are busy watching the Olympics, Russia decided to take care of a few outstanding issues. They were only too happy to respond to Georgia's assault on Tskhinvali in South Ossetia. Surely Mikheil Saakashvili should have known better. Did he really think his "friend" George W. was going to bail him out and endorse his nationalistic drive? Did he really think the Russians were going to roll over?

Putin's reign is a clear sign that Russia is tired of being treated like a second-class citizen. They do not like our Eastward expansion. The European oil and gas "wars" have already made that clear to anyone with a bit of international sense. Now the Poles are getting worried. And they should. History has shown time and again that Poland is easily overrun. Despite treaties of various sorts, Poland is extremely vulnerable. The treaties did not stop Hitler and they surely did not stop Stalin.

The Bush administration appears nonchalant. It is no stranger to riling up tensions. As a matter of fact, someone there seems to enjoy making trouble. But we do need to point out that whole NATO issue started with Clinton. You see, when it comes to short-sightedness, everyone wants their fair share.

The current energy crisis is only making matters worse. The smart response would be for all to cut back on energy usage and do the environment a favor. Instead, everyone from the reddest redneck down to the dyed-in-the-wool environmentalist is crying foul. They all want their cheap gas, everything else be damned. Everyone driving an SUV is already an implicit supporter of the Iraq war. Soon we may see some action in Iran as well. All areas where Russia has considerable influence. For those of you not so clued-in, remember that the so-called war on terror is really a war about oil and gas.

If you want trouble, rest assured it is coming. Energy is one area where Putin holds a lot of cards. And he is willing to play hardball to avenge Russia's loss of status. Those who taunt the bear better beware!

forty billion per year

No, this is not how much money Bill Gates makes. It is how many empty plastic water bottles we Americans dump into landfills every year. Forty billion bottles per year or better than 100 million per day. To say nothing of all the energy wasted shipping that water.

Bottled water is one of the biggest environmental disasters on the planet. The amount of energy spent bottling water, shipping it, cooling it, and ultimately trucking off the empties is just mind-boggling. And all that for what is often an inferior product. Time and time again, research has shown that municipal drinking water is of better quality, has less contaminants, and less bacteria than bottled water.

Water has many desired properties, but when it comes to bottled versions these properties work against us. Water is heavy. Shipping water consumes a lot of energy because water is so heavy. Water also has an enormous heat capacity. It takes a lot of energy to heat or cool water. Water is also a great medium for life and water in little bottles is easily contaminated. With no flow to wash it away, that contamination can quickly take over the whole bottle.

Perhaps you should think about all that before you grab that next water.

energy

There is a great op-ed piece in the New York Times by Thomas Friedman. It appears Mr. Friedman is on an environmental tour of the planet. Yesterday he visited Greenland and then Denmark. He reports that Denmark is now 100% energy independent thanks to its energy policy. He also has this great quote from the Danish prime minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen.

Mr Rasmussen said:" I have observed that in all countries, including America, people are complaining about how prices of gasoline are going up. The cure is not to reduce the price, but on the contrary, to raise it even higher to break our addiction to oil."  

Of course I am pleased to hear that there are other people in the world who think like me. But what pleases me even more is that such policies have been implemented and that they have led to great successes. Unemployment in Denmark is extremely low. The Danes are leaders in renewable energy. They are also one of the happiest, if not the happiest people on earth according to other surveys.

I am sure many will shrug this off. They will say, Oh yes, those Europeans! Look at how much better our standard of living is. How much bigger our cars and our homes! And how many more toys we have! Can you hear the addicts rant? 

America's addiction to oil is nothing short of pathetic. If only we used the oil to accomplish something good. Something innovative or beneficial. Unfortunately that is not the case. We mostly waste it. We waste it outright by leaving appliances on all the time, by heating and cooling enormous houses, by watering lawns, by idling cars and sitting in traffic, etc. We waste it by driving everywhere because we are too lazy to walk or bike. And we waste more of it because we need an eight cylinder SUV to drive ourselves to work every day, or drive the kids to school.

All that waste does not even accomplish the simplest of things, i.e. to make us happy or healthy. Americans are the world leaders in obesity. We are the top consumers of "ethical" drugs and medical devices. Half the country is on anti-depressants. Medicine has become the new frontier in consumption. We now consider medicine (call it "health care" just to make a point) to part an integral part of life. Plastic surgery and related, mostly skin-enhancing procedures, are now necessary to make us feel better. Nose jobs anyone? Just another form of consumption to fill our never-ending "needs" in the pursuit of ever-elusive happiness.

Wake up America. Turn off that TV. It is controlling you. It is constantly reminding you to consume more. It is making you feel inadequate, insecure, and in need of more items. It is promising you happiness, respect, wealth, status, and power if only you buy that new cross-over, or that huge lawn mower, or get that extra credit card, or eat that new sandwich. It is bombarding you with advertising 24/7. And that is not something a human brain can handle. Turn it off and go for a bike ride. You will be healthier and happier too.

what can you do?

I checked out a few sites dealing with peak oil, climate change, and the like and read their recommendations and instructions. I have to admit that most of it is quite unrealistic, silly, and downright irresponsible. Lots of people appear to have grabbed on to climate change as the latest fashion to further their apocalyptic visions or recommend their organic, zen-inspired life-style. I did not consult with the Rambo-style survivalists as I think they are so far off the right track that it is a pure waste of time.

However, even in the camp of "canned veggies" reason appears to be failing and emotions have taken over. Things are driven to an extreme with a fair amount of bogus beliefs thrown in. Many want to ditch modern society and turn back the clock. They are advocating and teaching a return to the land that rejects most if not all advances humanity made in the last 200 years. They see all these accomplishments as a sign of failure. 

I want to make clear that my view is entirely different. In my view we are not failing, we are too successful. We are too good at what we are doing. What got us into trouble is the fact that we are so good at exploiting our habitat that we are outgrowing it at a breakneck speed. 

That has happened many times before on a local scale. It is always followed by an inevitable correction which I described as a type of "middle ages," i.e. a period of prolonged (centuries) strongly reduced standard of living. This cyclical nature of human history is ignored in most texts. There we read a linear history of ever improving conditions, a triumph of man without any setbacks whatsoever.

If we distort history this way, we are bound to repeat it. The problem is that this time around excesses are on a planetary scale. That brings with it immense risks and for the first time I think the survival of the species is at stake. We may be at a point where we could destroy our habitat beyond repair. Those who fail to see it are deluding themselves just as badly as those who preach an abandonment of modern life.

Lest my recent posts may have given you the wrong impression, let me assure you that I do not think there is reason to believe we face an immediate threat. I strongly believe we can keep going like this for quite a while longer. What I fear however, is that soon (say in 40-50 years) we will be crossing an invisible threshold. A point of no return. If we do all bets are off.

As for now, we are probably in a deep and possibly long lasting (5-10 yr) depression but I suspect the worst case scenario is a "Japan-1990's" replay with at best, some sluggish growth here and there. My view on this matter is entirely mainstream although it lines up with the more pessimistic of forecasters. I do not think this depression will continue into major disaster. As I said yesterday I think a strong recovery is likely and there will likely be new periods of irrational exuberance. Although I do not like it personally, I do believe a deep recession would be beneficial in the long run by postponing major trouble and giving us some extra time. Time is of the essence now.

And that brings me to what you can do to help. It is quite simple really. No need to go to extremes. As a matter of fact, what you need to do is to remove the extremes you are engaged in now. That eight cylinder car, that 4,000 sq ft home, that two hour commute, you name it. The best thing anyone can do is to adopt a sensible life-style. Hardly anyone in America today lives a sensible life-style. An economy that depends for 70% or more on consumer spending is not sensible or sustainable.

A Suburban is not sensible. Not even when it sports a sticker that reads, Keep Tahoe Blue.

Don't eat too much, insert plenty of exercise, and stop buying things you don't need. Don't drive unless you have to and don't come up with excuses that justify all the driving you do. If you spend more than one hour a day in your car, you are driving too much. If you drive every day of the week you are driving too much.

If you feel the need to light up your neighborhood, or have three TV's running plus the radio, think again. If you need more than 50 gallons of water per person per day, think again. If you need power tools to do things around the house, think again. If you are too lazy to push your lawn mower, think again. While you are at it, think about that lawn. Better remove it.

Before you buy fruit in winter, think again. Don't buy bottled water or coffee to go. Don't throw out perfectly fine items and forget about fashion altogether. Don't work long hours just so you can buy more useless stuff that ends up in the garbage. Instead of quality time, spend some real time with your family and friends. Don't travel to see exotic places. Ride your bike instead.

Enjoy the simple things in life. Isn't it ironic that most people these days only start appreciating the simple things in life once they get hit by a deadly disease? Doesn't that tell you something? When push comes to shove, we all know what really matters. Why is it so hard then to be sensible while being healthy? Wake up America !

what climate change means

Here is a view of the future and it ain't pretty. Rest assured no viewer discretion is advised. There are no apocalyptic events, only widespread misery and horror. Although disasters may happen these will not be your main worry. No need to clean your weapons or open your canned veggies. It is unlikely that you will need them or even be able to use them.

Climate change is happening and it will have major effects on anyone living on the planet in the near future. We are already getting a first taste. Things are getting more expensive. You are having trouble making ends meet. "Consumer confidence is low. " Now, here is some good news. The present increases are unlikely to last. We will probably see some relief in the near future. The real trouble hasn't started yet and it probably won't for another decade or two. It is quite possible that we will go through another period of irrational exuberance first. A period where everyone will laugh at yet another doomsday scenario gone bust.

As I mentioned previously, a long world-wide recession lasting a decade or more, could mitigate this picture considerably. But to do away with it would require a substantial decrease in the world's population and that is unrealistic in my opinion.

When trouble finally hits, it will hit quickly and profoundly. Price increases will be swift and prices will mount on a daily if not hourly basis. Most will never see it coming. Wealth will be destroyed at breakneck speed. Soon, all of your income and savings will go to mere survival. That is, if you will have any income left. Or if people will still be willing to honor your paper money. Or your valuable possessions. 

Tell me what is the value of a house in the desert when there is no water, or no air conditioning, and no services? What is the value of a house in the middle of nowhere, when nobody can afford to drive there any longer? What is the value of a car when gas prices are sky high and gas stations are running on empty?

These are not imaginary scenarios. Some of it we can see happening now, on a much smaller scale and to a much lesser extent. SUV's and big trucks are losing value. Homes away from population centers are in foreclosure, hyper-inflation plagues much of sub-saharan Africa and other poor nations. Now just imagine all these, all at once, and on a near-global scale. That is what you can expect.

Items will be more difficult to get, no matter how much money you have. Some items are likely to disappear altogether. Think fish for example, or meat. Your standard of living will erode away until nothing is left but bare existence. It will melt like the Arctic ice in a hot world.

Very likely, you will have to pack up and move to another more hospitable area to survive. Be sure to pack lightly because chances are you will have to walk there. Never mind, because most of what you own now has no value whatsoever.

Illness will spread and start taking its toll. Epidemics will sweep impoverished populations everywhere. The young, the old and the infirm will be the early victims. But it won't stop before taking a sizable bite out of the adult population.

No doubt there will be some demonstrations, skirmishes, and maybe some civil unrest. All of that is going to be an early phenomenon. It will have little impact and disappear quickly. It is little use to fight over nothing or to demonstrate against nobody. Most will rather flee than fight. If any fighting does occur, it will be in the form of a large-scale war. Such a war can only expedite the overall decline. Nevertheless, we cannot rule it out. A war could be the initial trigger. If China keeps growing a war becomes more plausible.

Given that much of our country is uninhabitable without cheap oil, it is doubtful whether anyone will want to stand up and fight for it. Quite the opposite is to be expected. People will be fleeing expanding deserts, flood plains, and wetlands. They will be moving out of areas hit repeatedly by wildfires or flooding. Massive refugee camps could become a reality for much of the world's population. But not for long. Such camps would be a fertile breeding ground for infectious disease. With little outside help, the number of survivors will quickly shrink. 

However horrible, I still believe this is the most "benign" scenario. It is essentially a decline into a new middle ages. Although the scale and the scope is different it is much like what happened in Europe after the fall of the Roman Empire. Hopefully such a decline would be enough to allow the human habitat to recover.

The alternatives are not so good. Turning the earth into another venus is one such scenario. A mass extinction taking humans with it, is another, perhaps less dramatic one. While these are more Hollywood, I suspect they are extremely unlikely, at least for now.

a long slowdown with a silver lining

It appears the US economy is in for a long slowdown. By all measures, the current recession is going to last much longer than anyone anticipated. Partly to blame for this error in judgement is the current happy-go-lucky attitude that says all downturns are quick and painless. It won't happen this time around. There are warning flags everywhere and some predict the worst is yet to come. If so, we could be in for several years, if not a decade of pain, much like what the Japanese experienced in the 1990's.

If this would turn out to be true, there will be one bright silver lining. A massive slowdown in the US would likely be followed by slowdowns everywhere else. And if the global economy slows down, consumerism will slow down too. That means less waste, less pollution, and less greenhouse gases. It also means some renewable resources such as fisheries, wetlands, and forests may have a chance to recover. All in all, it could be a good thing for our habitat on the planet.

However, for an economic downturn to have a measurable effect on the environment, it will need to be long (very long by our standards) and profound. That means lots of pain and not just at the pump. It also needs to see an extremely slow recovery and not some sudden exuberance that blows out all the stops and nullifies in months what took years to accomplish.

It has been said that short downturns are worse for the environment. Some have said that people may turn to cheaper but dirtier fuels such as coal. Others claim people will keep inefficient cars and appliances longer and therefore consume more energy. All that is irrelevant of course and in many cases replacing an older more inefficient car with a new one causes far more pollution and waste than holding on to the old model. 

It is something hardly anyone is willing to acknowledge. Nobody ever takes into account the amount of carbon and pollution needed to produce the new car. Replacing working items with newer models is a consumerist mantra. It is a feel-good situation meant cover up wasteful consumption.

In any event, I have said it many times before, efficiency does not matter. What matters is the absolute amount of pollution and greenhouse gases produced. Nature does not care about efficiency. It is irrelevant. 

What is true however, is that short downturns barely matter. And if followed by a period of accelerated growth, the total effect will likely be worse than if the economy had grown at a slower but steady pace instead.

There is another silver lining to all our misery and pain. If we experience a number of prolonged slowdowns it may prevent us from hitting a wall anytime soon. For that to materialize, the world population will have to go down. Fortunately, the West appears set for negative growth. Here the population is aging and replacement is in many instances not keeping pace with the expected decline. 

The rest of the world however is growing at a rather furious pace. Currently it is set to more than make up for Western decline. A long global slowdown could put a damper on such enthusiasm. We may not like it, but there is little doubt it would be good for our long-term survival as a species.

gender and peak oil

I've been reading some blogs and some comments on blogs that refer to peak oil. As I have said before, I strongly believe pollution and other side-effects will get us way before we run out of oil. There is plenty of oil around. Sure we are pumping and consuming like mad dogs, and we may well have reached a peak in production, but we are by no means at the end of oil. Oil will be here for a while to stay. It is hard to see what, if anything, could replace it. Without oil we would have to forego our life-style, our economy, and all the other stuff we are so addicted to.

But onto gender. Apparently, the male response to peak oil is the Rambo-style, get your guns out and go build and live in a fortress on the land to prepare for the upcoming struggle. Maybe too many road-runner movies? The female response on the other hand is the calm, get ready, can the vegetables and make jam-type. One blogger compared it to expecting a child. Rosemary's baby?

Well, I am sorry to disappoint you. I am male and I am in no mood to go Rambo-style into the woods. I don't even own a gun, nor have I ever felt the need to own one. Nor do I think it would do me or anyone else much good. I am also not in the mood to start making preserves or can veggies. I have occasionally made jam and thoroughly enjoyed it, especially when it came to eating it, but I think making jam is not going to save us from what is about to happen.

Unfortunately it appears we are going to run into a concrete wall at 100 mph without ever putting on the brakes. I don't say that lightly and I feel bad thinking about it, but I fear it is all but unavoidable. History shows it has happened before and we humans tend to repeat history over and over.

Like other animals, we are opportunistic and opportunism is deeply ingrained in us. It is because it enables us to survive in an uncertain world. We grab what we can when we can. Male or female. With guns or with jam containers, we are out there to grab it and run with it. Because you never know what could happen tomorrow. Better be prepared.

Sadly, when we discover too many goodies it can be as bad as discovering none. And it appears that is what happened. We found an efficient way to harvest and release the energy that was stored in plants for over millions of years. And as any good opportunistic creature, we have been burning it as if there is no tomorrow. We have also multiplied like weeds. I guess when religious groups said, go out and multiply, they could not have foreseen the trouble they were asking for. Always remember to be careful what you wish for, lest you might one day get it.

So here we are, flush with wealth, and eager to consume it. Hey, if we don't do it, someone else will. There will be no stopping people. It would be like asking an addict to pass up the coke. It ain't going to happen. Not until it is way too late.

You can already see it. Rather than welcome high gas prices, people are crying foul left and right. Where are all those in favor of carbon-taxes? This, my friend is a carbon tax, and this is what we need. We need to make it expensive for people to consume. Very expensive. That is the only way to stop it. Unless items are expensive, nobody treats them with respect. It applies to gas, to water, to food, you name it.

And who can do this? Who has the power and the determination to enforce it? While staying away from it themselves! And who would be willing to submit? It is asking too much. Even if we found a group of leaders, what would stop the "followers" from overthrowing them forthwith? 

Environmentalists in their Volvo's are as eager to start offshore drilling as the most hardcore Texas oil man. Even if they realize it won't affect gas prices and will only further pollution and global warming. Sorry, got to drive the kids to school! Walk? Oh no, my kids cannot walk to school. Too far, too dangerous, too cold, too hot, too whatever.

Greed is not good. It cannot possibly end well if we keep going this way.

forbidden thoughts, forbidden words

In America today there are many words one cannot say. We all know of the N-word, the F-word, and other horrible words. These words are considered so vile and evil that we are told not to pronounce them as if doing so would invoke evil spirits or bring bad luck. Children are considered especially vulnerable to such sinister spooks.

Radio and TV broadcasts use beeps to save our ears from hearing these utterances. Ironically enough the very same words are extremely common in movies and paid-for TV shows. It appears that the more strongly society enforces a ban against these words, the more prevalent they become in "protected" media. It did not take long for the consumer society to figure out that people will pay for access to forbidden fruit, even if such fruit turns out to be a bit overripe.

Evil words are the main reason live shows are not really live. They are delayed by a few seconds so the censors can detect and remove the not-to-be-spoken. It is fairly easy to see that such actions have religious overtones. Some religions forbid their followers from pronouncing or writing the word god. So they end up with the g-d word. Young aspiring magicians are cautioned about he-who-cannot-be-named. And we all heard stories about words or spells that can kill. Many fairy tales feature spells cast upon newborn children that can only be broken by true love.

Apart from mere words, there are also things we cannot say because doing so would be not politically correct or not PC for short. While that includes some "magic" words, such as the infamous N-word, it is actually a bit broader than that. In this case, we are warned not to express feelings we may have. For example, we may think that younger people are better than older individuals, or that men are stronger than women, or that whites are smarter than blacks, but we better refrain from saying so. Expressing these thoughts is not acceptable and doing so will get you in trouble. 

People have learned not to talk about these feelings in any setting apart from small gatherings of like-minded individuals. Even then, strangers like Borat or the unnoticed cell phone camera can lead to unexpected consequences. Savvy adults know better than to say anything that could be construed as ageist, sexist, or racist.

These ideas have effectively been outlawed. Not even paid-for media will touch these issues with a ten foot pole. So you may think we have successfully eradicated them. Think again.

Language is a matter of convention. We can always find a way to express our feelings to like-minded individuals. In some cases, you can express something by denying it. In others, you can use an effective code word. And that brings me to the latest code-word of the 2008 political campaign. That code word, my friends, is muslim.

It is not appropriate to say that Obama is different because he is black, especially when black means inferior, not like us, not to be trusted. You would not want to say you won't vote for Obama because you know he is black. Doing so can land you in hot water. But you can easily say you won't vote for Obama because you believe he is a muslim. Even if you know full well Obama is not a muslim, there is no penalty for thinking he really is a muslim.  Or for saying you don't trust him because you think he is "in his heart" a muslim.

Muslim in this context means not like us, not to be trusted. It has connotations of terrorism, of trying to undermine our society, of being un-American, of cruel laws and habits that discriminate against women. It has in effect all the connotations of "black" and then some. Yet it is safe to say. And if worse comes to worse you can always argue that you made an honest mistake. You just thought he was muslim. His name sounded muslim.

It is so safe to use code words that the free media does it all the time. Especially when it comes to political adversaries. It is easy to do too. You can even do so while denying the message. You can say, some spread the rumor that he was a muslim. It matters very little how you say it as long as you connect both words together in some sentence. 

It is the true irony of words. While humans are very sophisticated users of language, they are also very prone to fall victim to simple linguistic tricks. It is often enough to connect two words in a single sentence to plant an idea in people's minds. At the end of the day, the viewers will remember Obama and muslim, but forget anything in between. 

And that is the real danger of suppressing free expression. It often has severe unwanted side-effects. It promotes the use of acceptable words, words that can easily bypass our vigilance and catch us off-guard.

We may forget the words, but the ideas linger. In some cases it would surely be better to say things as they are. Then we would recognize the ideas and dismiss them as false or unworthy of our attention. They would not linger and fester and far less damage would be done.